Russia deployed Bastion anti-ship missile system to Sevastopol, threats US

Russia deployed Bastion anti-ship missile system to Sevastopol in night of 8 to 9 March. Follow bystanders recorded the movement of Bastion anti-ship launcher complex on the streets Crimea.

Earlier media reports, this complex was deploy in Anapa, Krasnodar. Probably thrown to counter U.S. Sixth Fleet, by which may are threats to the Russian warships in the Black Sea.

The K-300P Bastion-Pis a Russian mobile coastal defence missile system. The system was developed together with the Belarus company Tekhnosoyuzproekt.

The system is designed for the destruction of various surface ships from an enemy's landing squadrons, convoys, carrier strike groups, as well as single vessels and land-based radiocontrast targets in conditions of intensive fire and electronic countermeasures. The system uses the P-800 Yakhont (SS-N-26) anti-ship cruise missile and has a maximum range of 300 km.

Russian foreign minister told the american mimister; if you inflict in our matters and mess with us, youll be hit as well, like a boomerang.

To be honest, if USA has to send troops then the troops in Afghanistan have to either be deployed to Ukraine or to Northern Afghanistan.

Pakistan can easily pressure americans to lay off Pakistan.
E.g when Hitler was giving Churchill headaches it was advantage for Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Allah Bless his soul) to pressurize UK for an independent Pakistan.

Now i think Pakistan can do the same by pressurizing the americans.

How can Pakistan benefit the usa vs Russia dominance?

Even if Ukraine is not in Pakistans neighbourhood but can hold ties with both countries, ditch americans and at the same time cooperate with the Chinese to get the american filthy nato troops out from Russia China, Pakistan and Iran geographical backyard?

MOSCOW, March 9 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Defense Ministry is considering a ban on US inspections of Russian nuclear weapons under the New START deal over the standoff in Ukraine, a ministry source told RIA Novosti on Saturday.

The ban would be a reaction to the US decision to suspend military cooperation with Russia over Ukraine, said the source, who requested anonymity.

Russia was also accused of backing separatists in the Ukrainian Republic of Crimea – which is planning to secede – and deploying thousands of troops there, though official Moscow has denied sending troops to the pro-Russian region.

The New START, signed in 2010 by US President Barack Obama and his Russian then-counterpart Dmitry Medvedev, envisages curbing nuclear arsenals of both countries by half by 2021.

The treaty’s implementation is overseen, in addition to satellite and remote monitoring, by 18 on-site inspections a year.

The United States has not conducted any inspections under the New START since the start of this year, according to the US Department of State’s website.

Russian Federation's President has outwitted the Europeans and Americans! The Ukrainian revolt was orchestrated and was a deliberate push by the West to pluck out Russian Federation's sphere of influence in Ukraine. Such was the desperation of the EU/US/UK/NATO that they resorted to having Nazi Ultra-Nationalist groups embedded in the protestors at Independence Square to attack, severely injure or even kill Kiev Police.

The objective was to throw Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet out of Crimea. The same way they're attempting to topple Syrian government, in order drive out the Russian Navy from Tartus, which has been leased by the Russians from Syria.

Once Russia is ousted from both Crimea and Tartus, the Russian Federation would be militarily cut off from the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea. NATO will demolish the Syrian government. This will essentially cut off any and all supplies to Hezbollah, renderring them incapable of fighting against Israel. It would also allow Israel to invade and occupy Lebenon. Their pretext of invading Lebenon would be eliminate Hezbollah.

Once Hezbollah is destroyed, so would Iran's threat to Israel, whither away. And would also open the way for full scale US assault on Iran to wipe out it's nuclear installations.

So President Putin has essentially checkmated EU/US/NATO.

Good job Putin!!!

........ when the first drop of a Munafiq's blood drops in the Kaa'bah ........

........ the Black Flags Army shall rise from Khurasan and commence its earth rumbling march toward Damishque. Any force that tries to come in its path, shall be destroyed with ruthless destruction. Awaiting, upon reaching Damishque, the safron and beads of pearls and the Black Turban that shall lead the Salah of Fajr .........

........ the stones and trees of Lud shall cry out to the Black Flags and tell them of the Munafiqs, Yahuds and Kuffar that are hiding behind them, to come and kill them. That day shall be the day of reckoning, the day of justice, the day when no power shall hold and unfair advantage. The battle shall be fought and won by way of faith ........

KIEV: Ukraine's acting president has said the country will not use its army to stop Crimea from seceding, the latest sign that a Russian annexation of the strategic peninsula may be imminent.

Oleksander Turchynov's Tuesday comments came after the Crimean parliament voted for independence ahead of a referendum on joining Russia, while Washington and Moscow locked horns in one of their fiercest clashes since the Cold War.

The interim leader said intervening on the southeastern Black Sea peninsula, where Kremlin-backed forces have seized de facto control, would leave Ukraine exposed on its eastern border, where he said Russia has massed “significant tank units”.

“We cannot launch a military operation in Crimea, as we would expose the eastern border and Ukraine would not be protected,” Turchynov told AFP.

“They're provoking us to have a pretext to intervene on the Ukrainian mainland... (but) we cannot follow the scenario written by the Kremlin.”

Sunday's referendum is being organised by Crimea's self-appointed leaders, who are not recognised by the new pro-European government in Kiev, installed after three months of protests that resulted in 100 deaths and the ouster of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych.

Conversely, Turchynov is not recognised by Moscow, which still insists Yanukovych is Ukraine's legitimate president.

Turchynov described the secession referendum as a “sham” whose outcome would be decided “in the offices of the Kremlin”.

World powers have repeatedly called for Moscow and Kiev to come together to seek a solution to the escalating crisis, but Turchynov said Russia's leaders were refusing any such talks.

“Unfortunately, for now Russia is rejecting a diplomatic solution to the conflict,” he said. Western powers, led by the US and Germany, insist that forming an “international contact group” is the way out of the crisis over the culturally fractured ex-Soviet state, which erupted into protest after Yanukovych pulled out of a deal on closer ties with the European Union in favour of a now-frozen bailout from Russia.

Obama hosts new PM

Turchynov's comments came as Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk headed to the White House for a meeting Wednesday with US President Barack Obama that should add credibility to his untested team.

Yatsenyuk will also use the visit to iron out the details of a $35-billion aid package he says his country's teetering economy needs to stay afloat over the next two years.

The European Union has also announced trade breaks worth 500 million euros ($690 million) that could ease Ukraine's burden from restrictions that Russia has threatened in response to Kiev's tilt toward the West.

The White House is leaving no doubt about the message it intends to send Russia with the visit.

Yatsenyuk will be treated like any other foreign leader visiting Washington, and be greeted by Obama in the Oval Office — a symbol of US power — for talks and a short photo opportunity at which both men will make remarks.

Washington says the reception for Yatsenyuk is intended to show that it believes the interim government in Kiev has been playing a responsible role since Yanukovych fled to Russia. Yatsenyuk will also address the UN Security Council on Thursday, diplomats said.

“We strongly support Ukraine, the Ukrainian people and the legitimacy of the new Ukrainian government,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Tuesday, when asked what message Obama was trying to send Moscow.

At the same time, and despite the apparent impasse in diplomacy between Russia and the United States on Ukraine, Carney stressed that the White House was still offering the Kremlin an “off ramp” in the crisis.

Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry failed again Tuesday to bridge differences on resolving the crisis in a phone conversation, with no decision yet made on whether Kerry would take up an invitation to meet with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the State Department said.

Crimea has been a tinderbox since Moscow's forces grabbed control of the peninsula — home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet for nearly 250 years — as part of President Vladimir Putin's broader vow to “protect” ethnic Russians living in southeast Ukraine.

The peninsula of two million people had always enjoyed wide autonomy and was part of Russia until being given to Kiev as a symbolic “gift” in 1954, when Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union.

Kiev's hold on the separatist region loosened still further Tuesday when pro-Kremlin gunmen seized the air traffic control tower at Crimea's main international airport and cancelled all flights except those to and from Moscow.

Seeing the lack of response and willingness from the NATO.....good thing Ukraine gave up Crimea without spilling blood or making a fool out of themselves. It's time they should properly define their borders, sovereignty and national identity; because still now the eastern parts of Ukraine will join Russian Federation in a heartbeat.

And I hope the mainland Ukraine joins the EU and reaps the benefits and prospers. The best 'revenge' would be to make the other side jealous for missing out.

Crimea will be given independence and either there will be new elections or an interim government with Viktor Yanukovych as the head of Crimea. Russia will extend their Black Sea agreement for another 50-100 years and house their missile shield there. Russia will not annex Crimea, too much retribution from world communities. In the end, that is still a Russian victory.

Russia will hit the West back with their own sanctions if they hit Russia with sanctions.

This sanctions issue, will be tricky, who will the developing third world go with and what steps China will take. Will Indian's receive their goods?

Edited by Felicius, 13 March 2014 - 12:31 PM.

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!

Another news that can indirectly be connected to Ukraine case is that during the "clashes" between fsa and alquada, alquada gained upper hand in a sector where there are Turkish soldiers protecting a small portion of land(under agreements in 20s) inside Syria.

If an attack occurs then erdogan will possibly start a cross border operation. This can postphone the elections that is planned to happen in at the end of march and also divert attention from the ongoing cases in the media these days.

More than that it can ignite a war against Syria considering the previous issues. If that happens to drive nato inside Syria america will have a bargaining point against Ukraine issue as well. either to push Russia back in Ukraine or go on with Syria in return for leaving solution of Ukriane issue to Russia for a while or delay the pressure against Russia if you want to call it that way.

Wars need to be averted and precautions need to be taken beforehand. These kinds of cases may happen and everyone needs to be aware and think about it and not to wait someone else to think for it.

-If you have faith and put resistance-hard work to it like defending your people or finding a scientific breakthrough then you channel down blessings the more you put resistance-work. If they believe in lies and covering truth then they put resistance for it work for it and cover truth by darkness and lies. The choice is given to us and thus the responsibility.

- Everything is from Allah. There is no other source of power and all causes are from Allah. This way you don't fall into theist or pantheist fatalism immobilising you.

- Submission, acceptance, let go of the roadblocks that we are sticking to the ego,fears,doubts etc.
We are in a constant war with our nefsh and eventualy we will experience death, the ego what we attach to will inevitably be gone whether we want it or not so do not stick to any result within this process.

- In this process desire everything but dependent on nothing without attaching to any cause but Allah. Everything becomes a tool a window for you. One who loves Allah loves everything from Allah. One who desires Allah desires everything from Allah.

- Take action, resist and be a wider channel for the 99 Forces of Allah. Ibadah is all your life process not snapshots of when you do Salat or dzikhr.
Gradually the false consciousness,the lies will melt away and Truth remains. You will experience what you do is from Allah. Then InshAllah you won't feel alone and disconnected.

If you can be selfless there can be wholeness in your conscioussness. If you can handle the internal battle which is the most important then you remove the blocks within the mind and your mind becomes like a channel. You can crush egos, smash idols, reveal the Truth, always transform and improve. Everything becomes possible. Most importantly it is the ego and lies that we are up against and at the essence the aim is to understand and live fully with the conscioussness of there are no many powers, sources of power like ego or images, only Allah. This fact in turn leads us to the point that it is those lies that makes us and the opponent seperate and prior aim should be on changing the opponent without using violence unless it is inevitable.

KIEV: Washington warned Russia on Thursday it was preparing a “very serious” response together with Europe to a breakaway vote in Ukraine's Crimea that has sparked the most explosive East-West standoff since the Cold War.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Russia needed to show immediate flexibility over the Black Sea peninsula's Sunday referendum on switching over to Kremlin rule, a vote backed by Moscow but not recognised by Kiev or much of the international community.

“If there is no sign of any capacity to be able to move forward and resolve this issue, there will be a very serious series of steps on Monday in Europe and here with respect to the options that are available to us,” Kerry told lawmakers in Washington.

His blunt comments came shortly after Ukraine's parliament voted to set up a huge volunteer force that could keep Russian troops from advancing beyond the region of two million people they seized at the start of the month.

Russia on Thursday launched its own military manoeuvres at its neighbour's doorstep and also dispatched fighter jets to Belarus in a show of military muscle that betrayed no willingness to compromise.

The tangible danger of war breaking out on the EU's eastern frontier prompted German Chancellor Angela Merkel to tell Russian President Vladimir Putin his country faced long-term political and economic damage unless he showed an immediate willingness to compromise.

US President Barack Obama had a day earlier also thrown his full weight behind the new Ukraine's leaders' decision to distance themselves from Putin and seek a closer alliance with the European Union.

National Security and Defence Council chief Andriy Parubiy said Ukraine's new 60,000-strong National Guard would “ensure state security, defend the borders, and eliminate terrorist groups”, a term many in Kiev use to describe the well-armed militias who patrol Crimea alongside Russian troops.

Ukraine's conventional army of 130,000 soldiers, half of them conscripts with ageing equipment, is dwarfed by an 845,000-strong Russian force that is backed by nuclear arms.

Russia's tanks and artillery units were training on Thursday across three regions neighbouring Ukraine while 4,000 paratroopers began performing drills in the central region of Rostov.

The Russian defence ministry said it was “increasing the intensity of field training exercises” that involve more than 8,000 artillerymen an undisclosed number of other soldiers.

Moscow also confirmed sending six fighters and three transport jets to Belarus in response to Nato's decision to start flying reconnaissance aircraft over Poland and Romania as part of the Western military alliance's attempts to monitor the movement of Russian troops.

The Unites States has also dispatched six additional F-15 fighters to Lithuania and 12 F-16s for aviation training in Poland.

A defence source in Moscow told Interfax that concern over the sudden buildup of troops and jets around Ukraine prompted a private telephone conversation between army Russian General Valery Gerasimov and his Nato counterpart Knud Bartels.

The flaring crisis between two of the former Soviet Union's biggest states was sparked by the ouster last month of a pro-Kremlin regime that in November rejected an historic EU deal that would have pulled Kiev out of the Kremlin's orbit for the first time.

The more nationalist and Western-leaning team that rose to power on the back of a bloody popular revolt is viewed with derision by Putin and increasing warmth by Washington and EU states.

Putin's March 1 decision to order troops into Crimea for the “protection”of the Russian-speaking majority there now threatens to invite a host of political and economic sanctions that could leave the Kremlin more isolated from the West than at any point since the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.

'Massively damage Russia'

Merkel, a fluent Russian speaker whose upbringing in Communist East Germany shaped both her cautious approach to Moscow and understanding of the importance of keeping relations with the Kremlin on track, delivered her most ominous warning to date in an appearance before the German parliament.

“If Russia continues its course of the last weeks, it would not only be a catastrophe for Ukraine,” the German chancellor told the chamber.

“It would not only change the relationship of the European Union as a whole to Russia. No, it would also, and I am firmly convinced of this, massively damage Russia both economically and politically.”

Merkel accused Russia of using the “failed” expansionist tactics of the previous two centuries.

The European Union will debate travel bans and asset freezes on Monday against Russian officials held responsible for threatening Ukraine's territorial integrity.

The measures also cover some top figures close to the ousted Kiev regime.

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!

US President Barack Obama gives a statement on the situation in the Ukraine in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on 17 March 2014 in Washington DC. "There are consequences for their actions" - Barack Obama on the sanctions against officials

The EU and US have announced travel bans and asset freezes against a number of officials from Russia and Ukraine.

The moves follow Sunday's referendum in Crimea, in which officials say 97% of voters backed breaking away from Ukraine and joining Russia.

The individuals targeted by the sanctions are seen as having played a key role in the referendum, which Kiev, the US and EU deem illegal.

Pro-Russian forces have been in control of Crimea since late February.

Moscow says the troops are pro-Russian self-defence forces and not under its direct control.

Crimea's declaration

According to the declaration approved by Crimean MPs, the region:

Becomes an independent state and applies to formally join Russia, with some autonomy

Will adopt the Russia rouble as its currency within a month

Will move to Moscow time (GMT+4 and two hours ahead of Kiev time) on 30 March

Will offer Crimean soldiers the chance to join Russian military

The crisis follows the ousting on 22 February of Ukraine's pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych, who had sparked months of street protests by rejecting a planned EU trade deal in favour of closer ties with Moscow.

US President Barack Obama said in a press conference that Washington stood "ready to impose further sanctions" depending on whether Russia escalated or de-escalated the situation in Ukraine.

If Moscow continued to intervene in Ukraine, he warned, it would "achieve nothing except to further isolate Russia and diminish its place in the world".

US move

The EU announced sanctions against 21 officials after a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels.

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius tweeted that further measures were expected to be taken in the next few days.

The US said it had targeted seven top Russian government officials and lawmakers and four Crimea-based separatist leaders with financial sanctions for undermining "democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine".

Pro-Russian self-defence activist wearing a Russian flag as he walks on Sevastopol embankment on 17 March 2014.

Thousands celebrated the results of the referendum across the Crimean peninsula

Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians protest in Simferopol

But not everyone was satisfied, with many Crimean Tatars saying they want the peninsula to stay with Ukraine, fearing further deportations

Cossacks, pro-Russian activists, march to take part in a rally outside the regional state administration building in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, on 17 March 2014.

Pro-Russian activists have also taken to the streets in the south-eastern city of Donetsk in recent days

The officials include Sergei Aksyonov, the acting leader of Crimea; Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian deputy prime minister; and Valentina Matviyenko, head of the upper house of the Russian parliament.

"Today's actions send a strong message to the Russian government that there are consequences for their actions that violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including their actions supporting the illegal referendum for Crimean separation,'' the White House said in a statement.

The list of names targeted by EU sanctions will not be made public until the measures go into effect, which is expected to be at the latest on Tuesday morning, says the BBC's Europe correspondent Matthew Price.

He told the BBC: "I think it's a step forward in mobilising the international community and confronting the Russian decision to violate international order and international laws. Crimea is an integral part of Ukraine."

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who is on the US sanctions list, says the measures will not affect those who do not have assets abroad, Reuters reports

"Comrade Obama, and what will you do with those who have neither accounts nor property abroad? Or didn't you think of that?" Mr Rogozin wrote on Twitter.

Monday's sanctions came hours after Crimea's parliament declared the region an independent state, following Sunday's referendum.

The government in Kiev has said it will not recognise the results.

Russia earlier proposed the formation of an international "contact group" to mediate the crisis and seek changes in the constitution that would require Ukraine to uphold military and political neutrality.

Meanwhile, the parliament in Kiev has formally approved the partial mobilisation of 40,000 reservists and says it is monitoring the situation along the eastern border with Russia.

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!

The US list included Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian deputy prime minister, Valentina Matviyenko, head of the upper house of the Russian parliament, and Mr Yanukovych.

US President Barack Obama said in a news conference that Washington stood "ready to impose further sanctions" depending on whether Russia escalated or de-escalated the situation in Ukraine.

But he also stressed there was still a path to solve the crisis diplomatically.

'Negative spiral'

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said those singled out were responsible for threatening Ukraine's territorial integrity and independence.

But there was still time to avoid "a negative spiral" in the situation, she added, urging Russia to withdraw its forces from Crimea.

There are consequences for their actions - Barack Obama on sanctions

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accused the US of a "pathological unwillingness to acknowledge reality".

He said they wanted to "impose their own unilateral, unbalanced approaches" on the rest of the world.

Ukraine's acting President Olexander Turchynov said Kiev was ready for negotiations with Russia, but it would never accept the annexation of Crimea.

The Kiev authorities earlier said they had recalled their ambassador to Moscow for consultation.

Crimea's regional parliament, which was disbanded by Kiev last week, earlier declared independence.

MPs said Ukrainian laws now no longer applied in the region, and all Ukrainian state property belonged to an independent Crimea.

Crimea's declaration

Becomes independent state and applies to join Russia, with some autonomy

Will adopt Russian rouble within one month

Will move to Moscow time on 30 March

Will offer Crimea-based soldiers chance to join Russian military

Echoes of Cold War

The peninsula will adopt the Russian currency, and clocks will move two hours forward to Moscow time by the end of March, the MPs' declaration said.

The document also appealed to "all countries of the world" to recognise Crimean independence.

More than 10% of Crimea's population is ethnic Tatar, many of whom were sent to gulags by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

They were only able to return to Crimea after the collapse of the USSR, and many took no part in the referendum.

Ukrainian presidential hopeful Vitali Klitschko said he feared the Tatars would be targeted with "ethnic cleansing" if Russia was allowed to take over.

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!

Take Georgia into account and we can say Russia has defended their title successfully.

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!

What do you predict, Crimea a Russian state or an independent country (after all the hocus pocus has settled)?

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!

Interests:I am an engineer by profession. My interests include astronomy, aviation, world development and music.

Location:Canada

Posted 18 March 2014 - 10:04 PM

It really wont matter. If they choose to stay "de jure" indepedent, they will still "de facto" effectively be part of Russia since it is Russia guaranteeing their security and sole recognition so far.

Putin has already drafted the bill for Crimea to join Russia (i.e the legal paper from the Russian side) and the crimean referendum was to join Russia. The whole independence situation is a temporary one between the time lapse of referendum and Russian bill I think.

I believe once the dust has settled (or the pressure is too high) Russia will grant Crimea independence.

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!

I don't think anyone can actually do anything meaningful. Russia will look to annex East Ukraine next if the Presidential elections don't yield a candidate in their favour. They'll use the same model they have done in Crimea. Russia provides gas to most of the EU, the EU cannot really afford to sanction Russia, the USA can't force sanctions on Russia either, as it would then be forced to sanction the EU if the EU continued to trade with Russia. All these economies are interlinked.

Lets be honest, nobody is fighting a war to defend the Ukranians. The world mocks the Muslim jihad ideology as backward, but correctly employed, it's what stops us from being Ukraine. Afghanistan hasn't ever won a war in the conventional sense, but it's free to be as savage as it likes. Britain tried, USSR tried, USA tried, and failed to enslave it because they put death before being enslaved.

Follow PDF on twitter @Official_PDF

-=-=-=-=Faith, Unity, Discipline-=-=-=-=

Kashmir is the jugular Vein of Pakistan and no nationor country would tolerate its jugular vein remainsunder the sword of the enemy. -Muhammed Ali Jinnah

-=-=-=-=FREE KASHMIR-=-=-=-=

These eye's do not wander in lust, for myqueen of hearts has graced them with love.

Salute to Putin . and as Crimea gone away from western influence , most likely now western power will rage over Syria...

Few Official Putin Quotes

"We keep hearing from the United States and Western Europe that Kosovo is some special case. What makes it so special in the eyes of our colleagues? It turns out that it is the fact that the conflict in Kosovo resulted in so many human casualties. Is this a legal argument? The ruling of the International Court says nothing about this. This is not even double standards; this is amazing, primitive, blunt cynicism. One should not try so crudely to make everything suit their interests, calling the same thing white today and black tomorrow. According to this logic, we have to make sure every conflict leads to human losses.”

“Some Western politicians are already threatening us with not just sanctions, but also the prospect of increasingly serious problems on the domestic front. I would like to know what it is they have in mind exactly: action by a fifth column, this disparate bunch of ‘national traitors’, or are they hoping to put us in a worsening social and economic situation so as to provoke public discontent? We consider such statements irresponsible and clearly aggressive in tone, and we will respond to them accordingly.”

Putin has shown remarkable tenacity and has very tactfully responded to the sinister meddling of the West in Ukraine. The right-sector thugs where dumb and stupid enough to think that the EU, UK & US would go head to head against Russia in it's own backyard. Salute to you, Mr. Putin, for laying the smackdown on the West! You did it in Georgia, then in Syria and now in Crimea! Awesome stuff!!!!

........ when the first drop of a Munafiq's blood drops in the Kaa'bah ........

........ the Black Flags Army shall rise from Khurasan and commence its earth rumbling march toward Damishque. Any force that tries to come in its path, shall be destroyed with ruthless destruction. Awaiting, upon reaching Damishque, the safron and beads of pearls and the Black Turban that shall lead the Salah of Fajr .........

........ the stones and trees of Lud shall cry out to the Black Flags and tell them of the Munafiqs, Yahuds and Kuffar that are hiding behind them, to come and kill them. That day shall be the day of reckoning, the day of justice, the day when no power shall hold and unfair advantage. The battle shall be fought and won by way of faith ........

They are slapping more sanctions on Russia. How are they going to stop Russia from delivering military equipment to India?

And if India continues to procure from Russia, are they too will be sanctioned then?

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama imposed sanctions on Vladimir Putin's inner circle and a “crony bank” for Russia's elite Thursday, while threatening to target Russia's broader economy over the Ukraine crisis.

“Russia must know that further escalation will only isolate it further from the international community,” Obama said at the White House.

Even as US officials reeled off a list of Russians targeted in the worst East-West crisis in years, Moscow hit back with its own sanctions aimed at Obama's closest political advisors and top lawmakers.

The new US measures targeted a new list of 20 lawmakers and senior government officials and other key figures in addition to 11 people already sanctioned by Washington.

Obama made his announcement just hours after Russian lawmakers rubber-stamped a treaty signed by Putin to absorb the Ukrainian region of Crimea into Russia.

The move freezes assets within American jurisdiction and bars US firms from conducting business with those concerned. It is also designed to frustrate attempts by those designated to conduct international business in dollars.

The US Treasury Department identified the financial institution involved as Aktsionerny Bank of the Russian Federation, also known as Bank Rossiya.

Senior officials said the bank held significant assets of the Russian ruling elite and key figures around Putin.

“Bank Rossiya's shareholders include members of Putin's inner circle associated with the Ozero Dacha Cooperative, a housing community in which they live,” the US Treasury said.

A senior US official described Rossiya as a “crony bank.”

The list includes key Russian lawmakers and aides to Putin and others, including several prominent business tycoons.

They include Vladimir Yakunin, chairman of Russian state railways, and Arkady Rotenberg and Boris Rotenberg, hugely wealthy brothers close to Putin who were awarded billions of dollars in construction contracts ahead of the recent Sochi Winter Olympics.

Others targeted included Gennady Timchenko, one of the founders of Gunvor, a top independent oil and energy commodity trading firm.

The largest shareholder of Bank Rossiya, Yuri Kovalchuk, was also named in measures that officials said would isolate those involved from the top tables of international commerce.

“These individuals will find their ability to continue to operate in the world economy in any fashion severely constrained,” said a senior US official.

Obama said he was taking the steps as “part of a response to what Russia has already done in Crimea.”

But he also raised the prospect of tougher future action if Russian behavior does not change, adding he had signed a new executive order that would allow him to target specific sectors of the Russian economy.

“This is not our preferred outcome,” Obama said, warning that any future moves would have a “significant impact” on the Russian economy.

The evolving strategy is part of a US effort to force Russia to pay an escalating price for its absorption of Crimea and what Washington sees as threatening moves towards the rest of Ukraine.

Officials denied that they represented nothing more than a “slap on the wrist” for Moscow, adding that their impact would pile up over time and hike pressure on Putin over his actions.

As Washington unveiled its latest sanctions, Moscow hit back with its own tit-for-tat measures targeting members of Obama's inner circle, including deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes, key political aide Dan Pfeiffer and Caroline Atkinson, a top international economic official in the administration.

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!

Natalia Poklonskaya previously served as a prosecutor for the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's office

In Japan, people watching events unfolding in Crimea appear to have become captivated by the region's newly-appointed attorney general.

Clips of a press conference with Natalia Poklonskaya have been shared widely on Japanese platforms, says website Rocketnews24. She was appointed to the post on 11 March and formerly served as a senior prosecutor for the city of Simferopol.

In particular, one video in which Poklonskaya listens to a reporter's question has been viewed nearly 300,000 times since it was posted to a Japanese YouTube channel.. There is no translation of her answer. Some people appear to be so taken with the seemingly charming prosecutor, they are turning out manga images and anime fan art inspired by her.

Before her appointment as Crimea's attorney general, Poklonskaya worked as a senior lawyer at the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office, in the Ukrainian capital Kiev and Crimea's Simferopol, according to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the official Russian government newspaper.

She has voiced criticism of the opposition protests in Ukraine, and described the change of government in Kiev as an "anti-constitutional coup". The Ukrainian government has launched a criminal case against her and stripped her of the civil service rank of "counsellor of justice".

One drawing inspired by Poklonskaya

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!

Formal annexation follows approval of treaty by Russian parliament on the day Ukraine capped landmark alliance with EU.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law the treaty formally making Crimea part of the Russian Federation, after it was approved by the parliament, on the same day Ukraine capped a landmark alliance with the European Union.

All 155 senators present in Moscow's upper house voted on Friday in favour of the treaty, which was signed on Tuesday by President Vladimir Putin and representatives of the secessionist Ukrainian region.

The treaty creates two new Russian administrative regions, Crimea and the port city of Sevastopol, where Russia's Black Sea fleet is based.

Despite threats of more sanctions from the EU and the US, Kremlin has declared that it considers Crimea part of Russia since the signing of the treaty.

On Thursday, Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, also voted to ratify the treaty with just one MP voting against. Both the Duma and the upper house of parliament are seen as largely rubber-stamping bodies.

Meanwhile in Brussels, Ukraine's acting Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and the EU leaders signed a landmark agreement in defiance of Russia's wishes. Ukraine is formerly part of the Soviet Union.

"Signing [the] political part EU-Ukraine Association Agreement symbolises importance of relations (and) will to take it further," EU president Hermann Van Rompuy said in a tweeted message.

The final deal, once signed, will cover issues as wide-ranging as economic integration, judicial reform and consumer rights to environmental protection.

Sanctions and counter-sanctions

As alliances were made, the EU and the US also announced new sanctions against prominent Russians, including close allies of President Vladimir Putin.

The European bloc on Friday announced it was expanding its list of Russians targeted with sanctions by 12, hours after the US president, Barack Obama, said his administration had imposed sanctions on "senior officials" in the Kremlin.

President Barack Obama earlier announced the new round of punitive measures against 20 Russian lawmakers and senior government officials, in addition to 11 individuals already targeted.

Speaking at the White House, Obama said Russia's threats to southern and eastern areas of Ukraine - which like Crimea have large Russian-speaking populations - posed a serious risk of escalating the crisis in the region.

Also among those top businessmen targeted are Putin-allies such as billionaires Gennady Timchenko, Arkady Rotenberg and Boris Rotenberg plus a bank used by close associates.

EU leaders also slapped an asset freeze and travel ban on 12 more Russians and Ukrainians, bringing to 33 the number of figures targeted by the European bloc.

But on Friday, Putin said Russia will, for the time being, refrain from imposing sanctions on Americans in retaliation for punitive measures announced by the United States, Russian news agencies reported.

Meanwhile, Russia's Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev said that Ukraine owes Russia $11bn, because the treaty under which Russia provides Ukraine with cheap gas in return for the Sevastopol naval base was "subject to denunciation".

In addition, he said that Ukraine owes Russia $3bn for a recent loan in the form of Russian purchase of Eurobonds, and that around $2bn is owed to Gazprom, Russia's state-controlled gas concern.

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!